The bubbling springs and petrified waterfalls of Hierve el Agua

Hierve el Agua is located in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, about 70 km east of Oaxaca city and 14 km southeast of the town of Mitla. Hierve el Agua is Spanish for ‘water boils’, and the name comes from the bubbling natural mineral springs that are found here, which run into bathing pools on a spectacular cliff-top location. Hierve el Agua, from a distance, appears to be a massive cascade frozen on the side of the mountain. However, ice is impossible in this hot climate. These are actually mineral deposits formed over thousands of years as a result of the mineral-laden water spilling over the edge of the cliff and trickling down the rocky mountainside. As the water runs down the rock face, it forms large stalactite-like structures similar to those found in caves.

Hierve el Agua consists of two waterfall-like rock formations. These are formed on cliffs that rise over 50 m from the valley floor, with one ‘waterfall’ reaching down 12 m and the other reaching down 30 m. The 12 m waterfall is called ‘Cascada Chica’ (small waterfall) and flows off a base that is about 60 m wide. The other is called ‘Cascada Grande’ (large waterfall), which extends down from a base that is about 90 m wide and 80 m above the valley floor. The more easily accessible and more often visited of the two waterfalls is the ‘Cascada Chica’, which is also called the ‘Amphitheatre’.

The water of the spring is over saturated with calcium carbonate, which is what gets deposited, forming the waterfall-like rock structures. The water with high mineral content is believed to have healing qualities, and tourists are often spotted soaking in the waters of one of the natural pools at the top of the rock.